Why root parsley is good and why it is worth growing

Root parsley is a spicy plant that has long been a regular guest on our table. The root vegetable contains more vitamin C than lemon and more vitamin A than carrots.

The culture is unpretentious in growing and with proper care it gives a rich harvest. The roots are widely used in folk medicine and cooking; they are harvested for the winter by freezing and drying.

Description and characteristics of parsley root

Root parsley is a biennial plant from the Umbrella family, genus Parsley. The ground part is represented by dark green, smooth, fragrant foliage of a strongly dissected shape, slightly harsh in comparison with leaf parsley. The erect stem is prone to branching and reaches 1 m in height.

The root is conical, fusiform, white or creamy gray. The length depends on the variety and varies in terms of 18-30 cm.The mass of the root crop is from 30 to 300 g.

The plant begins flowering in June-July. The flowers are small, yellow with a greenish tint.

In the first year, it produces a crop of greens and root crops. In the second year, the seeds are harvested.

Grows wild on rocky soils, mountain slopes, near water bodies. In the photo - parsley root.

Historical reference. The ancient Egyptians believed that parsley came from the blood of the murdered son of the god Osiris. Greens were used as ritual paraphernalia - wreaths were woven and worn over their heads.

Chemical composition

The table shows a set of vitamins and minerals per 100 g of product.

KBZHU

Nutritional value of parsley root:

• calorie content - 51 kcal;
• proteins - 1.5 g;
• fats - 0.6 g;
• carbohydrates - 10.1 g;
• dietary fiber - 3.2 g;
• water - 83 g;
• ash - 1.5 g

Beneficial features

Parsley root has a whole range of useful properties:

• help in the treatment of scarlet fever and measles;
• normalization of sexual function in men: the plant is a powerful aphrodisiac;
• normalization of digestion;
• removal of excess fluid from tissues;
• cleansing the blood;
• diuretic action;
• normalization of blood sugar levels;
• reduction of symptoms of allergic reactions;
• prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• maintaining visual acuity;
• acceleration of wound healing in the oral cavity;
• getting rid of bad breath;
• prevention of the development of osteoporosis;
• increased immunity;
• elimination of freckles and age spots.

The best varieties

The table shows the most popular varieties of root parsley.

Features of agricultural technology

Root parsley is unpretentious in care, but grows best on light and nutritious soil, loves moderate watering and mineral fertilizing. To get a plentiful and high-quality harvest, plantings are thinned out, weeds are removed and the earth crust is loosened.

Choosing a place

Root parsley grows well on light sandy loam, loamy and nutritious soil. The site should be located in the southern side of the garden, where there are no drafts and gusty winds.

The best predecessors of culture are coriander, carrot and dill.

It is not recommended to plant parsley in an area fertilized with fresh manure. Better to do it next year. Otherwise, the root crops will grow branched.

Seed preparation

Root parsley seeds contain a large amount of essential oils, which makes them difficult to germinate. Soaking the planting material in a glass of warm water for 48 hours 2 weeks before sowing will speed up the awakening of the planting material. The water is changed twice a day.

After the seeds are swollen, they are washed under running water and placed in gauze or cotton cloth for further germination. Seedlings will appear in about 5-6 days. The seeds are placed in the refrigerator for 10-12 days, then dried. In another way, this procedure is called stratification.

Soil preparation

The preparation of the site for planting is carried out in the fall: they dig it to a depth of 25 cm, add 5 kg of humus per 1 m². In the spring, the soil is loosened and fertilized with a mineral composition: 30 g of potassium salt, 25 g of double superphosphate or 50 g of ammonium nitrate and 25 g of nitrophosphate per 1 m².

Landing

In the prepared area, furrows are dug to a depth of 2 cm with an interval of 20 cm.The seeds are laid out according to a 30x30 cm scheme and sprinkled with a layer of earth no more than 1 cm.

After sowing, the soil is abundantly moistened with warm, settled water.

To preserve moisture, the beds are covered with foil for 2-3 days.

This is the standard procedure for sowing root parsley in temperate and warm climates. In the northern regions, sowing is carried out in the fall. Seeds germinate 2 weeks after the snow melts.

Seedling method

The seedling method of growing parsley root is not very popular among gardeners due to the risk of damage to the root system. If the farmer still chose this planting method, it is recommended:

• sowing seeds in the second decade of March;
• disinfect the soil before sowing, especially if the soil is taken from the garden;
• the optimum temperature for growing seedlings is + 23 ... + 25 ° С;
• it is important to maintain soil moisture at a constant level;
• after the appearance of the first true leaf, reduce the temperature to + 18 ° С;
• Transfer of seedlings to open ground should be carried out in mid-May.

Care

The rules for caring for root parsley are the simplest. The plant requires careful attention to thinning and watering.

Weeding and loosening

Crop seeds take a long time to sprout, but weeding the soil is one of the mandatory procedures. To accurately determine the sowing site, together with the parsley seeds, mustard or lettuce seeds are placed in the furrows.

Approximately 6 days after sowing, their shoots will appear above the soil surface, which will indicate the location of the rows. From this moment, you can start loosening to a depth of 5-6 cm. Weeds are removed as they grow.

Thinning

Without it, it is impossible to get a rich harvest of root parsley.The first thinning is carried out after the appearance of the first entrances, leaving a gap between the shoots of 2-2.5 cm. The second procedure is carried out after 2 weeks. The distance between the bushes is increased to 6-7 cm.

Watering

Root parsley is not demanding for watering, but its regularity gives excellent results. Watered in the morning or evening at the root. In rainy weather, the amount of watering is reduced, in drought, it is increased. Particular attention is paid to watering parsley during the ripening period of root crops - in August. The rate of water for 1 m² is 20-25 liters.

Top dressing

The culture responds with gratitude to the application of mineral fertilizers. The first feeding is carried out after the appearance of 3 true leaves - 15 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m². The second top dressing is performed 3 weeks after the first - 5 g of ammonium nitrate, 5 g of potassium salt, 10 g of superphosphate per 1 m².

Disease and pest control

Root parsley is prone to:

• peronosporosis - white spots on the foliage;
• white rot - roots rot and soften;
• white spot - whitish spots appear on the foliage, the tissues soften and rot;
• rust - red-orange spots are not green.

These diseases arise due to improper planting care. To prevent infection, the rules of agricultural technology are observed:

• crop rotation;
• weed cleaning;
• moderate watering;
• treatment with "Fitosporin", "Energen", copper sulfate;
• warming up the seeds before sowing to a temperature of + 45 ... + 50 ° С.

The main pest of root parsley is the carrot leaf flask. She lays eggs at the base of the root, then the larvae damage the plant.

To prevent the spread of the pest, the beds are powdered with a mixture of wood ash and tobacco dust 1: 1, the plantings are covered with lutrasil with a density of 17 g / m².

Harvesting and storage

Harvested at the end of September. For harvesting root crops, choose a sunny and dry day. The green part is cut off, leaving a small stump. Root crops are pulled out of the ground and left to dry right in the garden. Then they are sorted, the rotten and damaged ones are discarded, the earth is shaken off.

Parsley roots are placed in boxes with their heads up, sprinkled with sand and stored in a cellar at a temperature of 0 ... + 15 ° C.

Root parsley can also be stored in the refrigerator: the top and tail are cut off, the root vegetables are folded into plastic bags.

The use of parsley root in cooking

Parsley root is used for making salads, marinades, sauces, soups, borscht, snacks. It can be pickled, baked, stewed, boiled, fried. The product goes well with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, cereals, meat and fish.

Solyanka in Polish

Ingredients:

• meat bones - 400 g;
• pork - 300 g;
• parsley root - 1 pc .;
• celery root - 30 g;
• olive oil - 2 tablespoons l .;
• gherkins - 4 pcs.;
• sauerkraut - 70 g;
• pickled mushrooms - 50 g;
• tomato paste - 1/2 tbsp. l .;
• onions - 1 pc .;
• basil, thyme, dill - to taste;
• sour cream 20% - 3 tbsp. l .;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• wheat flour of the highest grade - 1 tbsp. l .;
• bay leaf, black peppercorns - to taste;
• salt, pepper - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the meat bones and put in a large saucepan, cover with water, add lavrushka and black peppercorns. Cook over low heat until tender. Remove the bones, separate the meat, chop finely and put in the strained broth.
2. Cut the pork into small pieces, fry in vegetable oil until crusty. Pour 1-2 ladles of broth into a frying pan and simmer the meat until tender.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a deep saucepan, add sauerkraut and simmer until soft. Add finely diced gherkins, mushrooms and tomato paste, stir and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Bring the broth to a boil, put pork, stewed vegetables in it, salt and pepper, throw chopped thyme and basil with dill, leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. In a bowl, mix sour cream with lemon juice, add 1 tbsp. l flour, mix and season the soup.
6. Cook the hodgepodge for another 15 minutes, turn off the heat and leave on the stove to brew for 15 minutes.
7. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped herbs.

In folk medicine

Parsley root is widely used in folk medicine to improve the condition in chronic diseases of the genitourinary and cardiovascular systems.

To relieve inflammation in prostatitis, the root is cut, poured with boiling water and insisted in a thermos for 12 hours. Take the infusion daily for 1 tbsp. l. half an hour before meals until the condition is relieved.

To cleanse the body, fresh chopped root is eaten in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 tbsp. l.

To relieve PMS 1 tbsp. l. fresh root is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted overnight. Take 1 tbsp in the morning. l. after meal.

To improve the work of the heart, use an infusion of grated root: 1 tbsp. l. raw materials and 200 ml of water are mixed, insisted for 1-2 hours, take 150 ml three times a day half an hour before meals.

How to save for the winter

Parsley root retains its flavor and beneficial ingredients when dried and frozen.

The roots are pre-washed, cleaned, dried on a paper towel. Then cut into strips or rub on a coarse grater, put in plastic containers or tight bags.

The crushed root is dried in the oven, electric dryer or outdoors. The raw materials are laid out in an even layer on parchment paper and sent to an oven heated to a temperature of + 50 ... + 60 ° С. Drying time is 3-4 hours. The finished raw material should break and crunch.

The same procedure is carried out when drying in an electric dryer. The crushed root is laid out on pallets, the temperature is set to + 70 ° C and dried for 4-6 hours.

For drying in the fresh air, the raw materials are laid out on parchment with a layer of 0.5 cm, covered with a paper napkin and placed in partial shade on a balcony or veranda. Raw materials are periodically stirred with a wooden spatula. Drying time is 15-17 days.

Harm and contraindications

Root parsley is contraindicated for:

• pregnancy - enhances uterine contractions;
• individual intolerance;
• impaired renal function;
• epilepsy;
• exacerbation of gastritis and stomach ulcers.

Conclusion

Parsley root is not as popular as herbs, but it is used in cooking and traditional medicine. The culture is undemanding to care and only needs sufficient watering, weeding, loosening, thinning and feeding with mineral compounds. To prevent the development of fungal diseases, it is important to adhere to the rules of crop rotation, weed harvesting, preventive spraying with copper sulfate or "Fitosporin".

In dishes, the root is combined with meat, vegetables, cereals and other herbs. Aromatic dry and fresh seasoning can enrich the taste of broths, soups, borscht and sauces.